Egypt’s newly-inaugurated president Mohamed Morsi uses his first decree with the force of law to annul preventive detention for journalists in crimes related to publishing, thus securing the release of journalist Afifi remanded in custody for insulting and vilifying the president of Egypt.

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, on Thursday evening, issued a Presidential Decree – his first by force of law - abolishing preventive detention of journalists pending publication cases.

The decree scraps – from Article 41 of the Penal Code – the custody option for crimes committed by newspapers or journalists charged with insulting the President as per Article 179 of the same Penal Code.

Earlier Thursday morning, journalist Islam Afifi, chief editor of Al-Dostour newspaper, was remanded in custody by court order pending investigations over charges that he had insulted the President.